Tehran’s wastewater management is lacking in efficiency and effectiveness. Latest reports indicate that only 25% of Tehran’s residents have access to a sewerage system. Even though considerable progress has been made in establishing a sewerage network in not only Tehran, but in the country at large, construction needs to speed up.
One of the main fallouts of not having a proper wastewater management in place is the threat of water pollution, which seems to have struck certain parts of Tehran Province.
During a press conference on Monday, Saeed Motesadi, a deputy at the Department of Environment, said while the water of Tehran is clean, the same cannot be said of the water in the city’s satellite towns.
“The water in some towns is contaminated with nitrate,” he said, adding that the contamination has only occurred in water treated at privately-owned facilities.
“The energy ministry’s treatment facilities are up to standard and there have been no reports of nitrate contamination.”
According to the official, the private sector siphons water from contaminated wells. If not treated to standards, the nitrates remain.
“To effectively combat the problem, Tehran’s sewerage network need to be completed,” he asserted.
Nitrate and Its Effects
Nitrate is an inorganic compound that occurs under a variety of conditions in the environment, both naturally and synthetically.
Short-term exposure to drinking water with a nitrate level at or just above the health standard of 10 mg/l nitrate-N is a potential health problem primarily for infants. Babies consume large quantities of water relative to their body weight, especially if water is used to mix powdered or concentrated formulas or juices.
Also, their immature digestive systems are more likely than adult digestive tracts to allow the reduction of nitrate to nitrite.
In particular, the presence of nitrite in the digestive tract of newborns can lead to a disease called methemoglobinemia, or “blue baby” disease.
According to the Center for Environmental Research at Cornell University, nitrate is one of the most common groundwater contaminants in rural areas. Although nitrate levels that affect infants do not pose a direct threat to older children and adults, they do indicate the possible presence of other more serious residential or agricultural contaminants, such as bacteria or pesticides.
Electronic Waste
When asked to elaborate on electronic waste management, Motesadi pointed to the abysmal state of waste management in the country and said, “We seem to have trouble disposing of normal waste, let alone electronic waste.
“Nevertheless, there are a number of facilities in the country specializing in electronic waste disposal.”
